Survivor Series, Big Show and Latest WWE News and Rumors from Ring Rust Radio

Ring Rust Radio is the best wrestling show on the airwaves, and this week was no different. With strong opinions on Survivor Series, Big Show and more, this is where you need to get all of your weekly WWE nuggets.

Who will win the WWE Championship match at Survivor Series?

Randy Orton Big ShowNon-finishSubmit Votevote to see results

Who will win the WWE Championship match at Survivor Series?

Randy Orton

48.4%

Big Show

31.5%

Non-finish

20.2%

Total votes: 3,503

Bleacher Report featured columnists Mike Chiari, Donald Wood,Brandon Galvin and Michael Cahill give the lowdown on all things going on in the wrestling world.

Whether fans like it or not, Survivor Series will be headlined by a WWE Championship match between Randy Orton and Big Show. There isn't a great deal of excitement surrounding the match due to the fact that they have gone at it many times in the past, and few believe that Big Show deserves a main event spot. Nevertheless, WWE is hitching its wagon to The Viper and The World's Largest Athlete.

Question on Everybody's Mind: Who Will Win at Survivor Series?

On the surface, it seems fairly obvious that Orton will find a way to defeat Big Show and retain his title. Orton just regained the strap at Hell in a Cell by defeating Daniel Bryan, and he has been touted as the face of the company since SummerSlam.

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have seemingly soured on Orton in recent weeks, but that could very well be a trick. The conniving duo may be talking down Orton in order to lull Big Show into a false sense of security.

Triple H banned The Shield from helping Orton Sunday, but he didn't ban himself, Kane or any number of other Superstars. It's very easy to be upset about the prospect of this match main eventing Survivor Series, but at least there is some unpredictability involved, as creative has done a nice job of masking its intentions thus far.

Ring Rust Radio's Take

The RRR panel discussed several possibilities for this match. Should Orton win, it will be through unfair means in some way. Triple H interfering is something to consider since it would allow Triple H to remain very much in control of Orton. A non-finish of some kind—such as a double-countout, or perhaps even a Big Show win via disqualification or countout—could happen in order to further the feud; however, something similar was already done in the main event at Battleground.

Few seem to be talking about Big Show winning, but it isn't outside the realm of possibility. If Orton does't receive any help, Big Show may win the title, which would then set up a rematch at TLC.

Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania has been discussed often on the show, and having Big Show win the title from Orton and drop it to Triple H at the Rumble with Bryan winning the Rumble itself would certainly help accomplish that.

Rather than going forward with a traditional six-on-six elimination match at Survivor Series between a team comprised of the Wyatt Family and The Shield and the team of Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes, Goldust and The Usos, the creative team decided to book Bryan and Punk in a match against Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. It may not be ideal, but it figures to be one of the best matches on the card.

Question on Everybody's Mind: Who Will Win at Survivor Series?

It's easy to understand why wrestling purists weren't particularly happy with WWE's decision to have the 12-man tag match on Raw rather than at Survivor Series. The Survivor Series pay-per-view used to seem special due to the elimination matches, but that is no longer a true staple.

With that said, the writers did book a five-on-five match that will pit The Shield and The Real Americans against Rhodes, Goldust, The Usos and Rey Mysterio. It may not have as much star power as the preferred match, but it should still be excellent.

As for Bryan and Punk vs. Harper and Rowan, it will be very interesting to see Bryan and Punk as a unit. They have been working together for the past few weeks, but Sunday will mark the first instance of them doing so on pay-per-view. "The Best and The Beard" represent a modern-day Mega Powers of sorts, so the fans should get a kick out of that if nothing else. Also, the fact that it is a regular tag team match rather than a 12-man match ensures that the focus will remain on them.

Ring Rust Radio's Take

There is no doubt that Bryan and Punk represent the superior team, but they don't necessarily need to win this match. Both men are well established as top stars, and a loss Sunday wouldn't damage them, especially if it comes by unfair means. With Bray Wyatt lurking around outside the ring, there is a very high probability Bryan and Punk will somehow get screwed out of winning this match. Bryan and Punk have gotten the better of the Wyatts on multiple occasions as of late, so Harper and Rowan need the win in order to gain some legitimacy.

In addition to Wyatt potentially interfering, Kane could play a role. He's had run-ins with the Wyatts in the past, but he is now heel and working for The Authority. Wyatt has been claiming that "the devil" has made him commit unsavory deeds, and perhaps it will be revealed that Kane is "the devil." This would allow Kane and Bryan to engage in a feud leading up to TLC, while Punk could branch off and go at it with Wyatt.

Bryan and Punk as a team is fun in the short term, but it shouldn't be a long-term angle.

In addition to the aforementioned matches, the Survivor Series card is rounded out by several other bouts. John Cena will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Alberto Del Rio, Big E Langston will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Curtis Axel, The Miz will face Kofi Kingston and there will also be two elimination matches—one that will feature Superstars and one that will feature Divas.

Question on Everybody's Mind: How Will It Play Out?

The Cena vs. Del Rio match is important due to the fact that the World title is on the line, but it's very difficult to get excited about the match. Had Damien Sandow been involved to make it a Triple Threat match like he should have been, there would have at least been some uncertainty. That isn't the case, though. There is absolutely no reason why Del Rio should recapture the World Heavyweight Championship, so all signs point to Cena retaining.

The same can be said for the IC title match featuring Langston and Axel. Big E won the title from Axel on Raw, so it's essentially guaranteed that he will successfully defend it. While it remains to be seen whether or not Langston will be effectively utilized as Intercontinental champion, Axel failed miserably and should be excommunicated from the title hunt after Survivor Series.

Ring Rust Radio's Take

The kickoff match between Miz and Kingston is interesting due to the fact that The Awesome One finally turned heel on Raw. Miz refused to tag Kofi, and he has returned to the role that suits him best. Miz needs a win to gain some momentum, and he'll pick it up against Kofi.

The previously mentioned five-on-five match could go either way, but the faces should have the upper hand. The Shield has slowly been bursting at the seams, and this will likely be used as a vehicle to further the tension. Also, with Mysterio returning, there is little doubt that WWE will want to make the master of the 619 look strong. With that in mind, expect Mysterio to be the sole survivor.

As for the Divas' seven-on-seven match, it will put the Total Divas cast up against the rest of the Divas on the roster. It's difficult to imagine there being much technical acumen displayed in this match, and it will almost certainly be used as an opportunity to make the Total Divas look good.